A soulful lady…
Crawford first polished her craft at club gigs from Cincinnati to Saint-Tropez, but made her name in mid 1970s in New York, where she sang with jazzmen George Benson and Cannonball Adderley. Along the way she has rubbed elbows with Bootsy Collins, Johnny Bristol, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau and others.
She then led R&B veterans The Crusaders on the transatlantic big hit “Street Life” (1979). This song stayed atop the U.S. jazz chart for twenty weeks and has since become both a rare groove and disco classic, and appeared in commercials in the early 2000s. Her follow up solo efforts included “‘One Day I’ll Fly Away” (1980, Grand Prize for Tokyo International Music Festival and UK #1); “You Might Need Somebody” (1981); and “Rainy Night in Georgia” (1981); which all became soul standards. The album, Secret Combination (1981) stayed on the Billboard album chart for sixty weeks, after which her profile dipped, despite a return to the Top Ten with “Almaz” in 1986.
Naked And True (1995) brought Crawford back to her roots: it included Benson’s “Give Me The Night”, and confirmed her soul heritage by featuring Funkadelicists Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and The Fred Wesley Horns. But she enjoyed her highest profile of the decade when rising starlet, Shola Ama, had a worldwide hit with her 1997 cover of “You Might Need Somebody”.
Selected Discography
Windsong/Nightline
Wounded Bird Records 2005
Tracks: Look Who's Lonely Now, I Have Everything But You, He Reminds, Letter Full Of Tears, This Night Won't Last Forever, One Hello, Windsong, When I'm Gone, Don't Come Knockin', I Don't Want To Lose Him, We Had A Love So Strong, Nightline, Living On The Outside, Why, Bottom Line, In Real Life, Happy Feet, This 'ole Heart Of Mine, Lift Me Up, Ain't No Foolin' & Go On And Live It Up.
Musicians on the Nightline album: Randy Crawford, John Robinson, Jeff Porcaro, Leon Pendarvis, James Gadson, Robbie Buchanan, James Newton Howard, Denzil Miller, Eddie Nobel, David Williams, Steve Lukather, Dean Parks, Cecil Womack, Larry Carlton, Dann Huff, Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus, Abraham Laboriel, Lenny Castro, Brenda Russell, Arnold McCuller, David Lasley, Cecil Womack, Linda Womack, Carmen Twilley, Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Michael Sembello, Buzz Feiten, Paul Jackson, Lenny Castro, Robbie Buchanan, David Sanborn, Larry Williams, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Gary Herbig, Jim Horn, Lew McCreary, Richard Page, Bill Champlin, Carmen Twillie, Steve George & Paulette Brown.
Nightline
Warner Bros 1983
Tracks: Nightline, Living On The Outside, Why, Bottom Line, In Real Life, Happy Feet, This 'ole Heart Of Mine, Lift Me Up, Ain't No Foolin' & Go On And Live It Up.
Musicians on the Nightline album: Randy Crawford, John Robinson, Jeff Porcaro, James Gadson, Robbie Buchanan, James Newton Howard, Denzil Miller, Eddie Nobel, David Williams, Steve Lukather, Cecil Womack, Larry Carlton, Dann Huff, Nathan East, Abraham Laboriel, Lenny Castro, Brenda Russell, Arnold McCuller, David Lasley, Cecil Womack, Linda Womack, Carmen Twilley, Julia Waters & Maxine Waters.
Windsong
Warner Bros 1982
Tracks: Look Who's Lonely Now, I Have Everything But You, He Reminds, Letter Full Of Tears, This Night Won't Last Forever, One Hello, Windsong, When I'm Gone, Don't Come Knockin', I Don't Want To Lose Him & We Had A Love So Strong.
Musicians on the Windsong album: Randy Crawford, Jeff Porcaro, Leon Pendarvis, Abraham Laboriel, Neil Stubenhaus, Steve Lukather, Dean Parks, Michael Sembello, Buzz Feiten, Paul Jackson, Lenny Castro, Robbie Buchanan, David Sanborn, Larry Williams, Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Gary Herbig, Jim Horn, Lew McCreary, Richard Page, Bill Champlin, Carmen Twillie, Steve George & Paulette Brown.
Secret Combination
Warner Bros 1981
Tracks: You Might Need Somebody, Rainy Night In Georgia, That's How Heartaches Are Made, Two Lives, You Bring The Sun Out, Rio De Janeiro Blue, Secret Combination, When I Lose My Way, Time For Love & Trade Winds.
Musicians on the Secret Combination album: Randy Crawford, Jeff Porcaro, Leon Pendarvis, Abraham Laboriel, Steve Lukather, Dean Parks, Robben Ford, Lenny Castro, Neil Larsen, Larry Williams, Bill Reichenbach, Gary Herbig, Jim Horn, Chuck Findley, Phyllis St. James, Marti McCall, Petsye Powell & Alphanette Silas.